New at the movies

Sunday

May 27, 2007 at 2:00 AM

BUG — This is a different kind of woman-in-peril movie starring Ashley Judd, which has long been its own specific genre. Judd is indeed in peril once again, but she gets to prove she can actually act with some depth, and not just look pretty under strain. Whatever unexpected ability she shows in the early scenes of this paranoid thriller go utterly to waste, however, as the film spirals ridiculously, laughably out of control by the end. Amazingly, the film comes from veteran William Friedkin ("The Exorcist," "The French Connection"), a director who has seen better days, decades ago. Judd stars as Agnes, a lonely waitress at a run-down bar who lives in an even rattier motel, subsisting on a diet of cigarettes, vodka and pot. Her life gets shaken up by a drifter (Michael Shannon, whose presence and delivery are riveting) who moves in with her and sucks her into his delusional conspiracy theories involving the government, the military, scientific testing and ... bugs! Hence the title. The movie is based on the play by Tracy Letts (who also wrote the script), and it feels like it. Much of the action takes place in Agnes' room, which slowly evolves as the couple's fear and co-dependency grow. R for some strong violence, sexuality, nudity, language and drug use. 102 min. Two stars out of four.

Associated Press

BUG — This is a different kind of woman-in-peril movie starring Ashley Judd, which has long been its own specific genre. Judd is indeed in peril once again, but she gets to prove she can actually act with some depth, and not just look pretty under strain. Whatever unexpected ability she shows in the early scenes of this paranoid thriller go utterly to waste, however, as the film spirals ridiculously, laughably out of control by the end. Amazingly, the film comes from veteran William Friedkin ("The Exorcist," "The French Connection"), a director who has seen better days, decades ago. Judd stars as Agnes, a lonely waitress at a run-down bar who lives in an even rattier motel, subsisting on a diet of cigarettes, vodka and pot. Her life gets shaken up by a drifter (Michael Shannon, whose presence and delivery are riveting) who moves in with her and sucks her into his delusional conspiracy theories involving the government, the military, scientific testing and ... bugs! Hence the title. The movie is based on the play by Tracy Letts (who also wrote the script), and it feels like it. Much of the action takes place in Agnes' room, which slowly evolves as the couple's fear and co-dependency grow. R for some strong violence, sexuality, nudity, language and drug use. 102 min. Two stars out of four.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END — It's way too long and massively convoluted and ultimately just plain silly. But still, it's a lot of fun a lot of the time. The third movie in the freakishly successful "Pirates" franchise feels substantial and looks impressive and fulfills the hype surrounding it in a way the other thirds — Spidey and Shrek — haven't so far. Having said that, it is, of course, a giant meandering mess that leaves you feeling as if you've been tossed about on the high seas for three hours, but theoretically that's also part of the allure of these movies. And yet, within the enormous action sequences, there are enough individual "wow" moments that make you appreciate just how inventive and complicated an achievement this was. As for the plot — not that it ever matters — this one's more confusing than ever. Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) must rescue the wily Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from the purgatory of Davy Jones' Locker, where he wound up last year at the end of "Dead Man's Chest." They also must round up the Nine Lords of the Brethren Court, sort of a U.N. of unsavory behavior, hoping that their combined power can stop the Machiavellian Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) from ridding the world of pirates. PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure, violence and some frightening images. 167 min. Two and a half stars out of four.

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